He really is the real thing. Of course, I’m probably pickier about this event, my event, than anything but I like the idea that there’s only been four world record holders at the distance since 1975. Alberto Juantorena — it didn’t get very much better than him — then myself, Wilson Kipketer and now this man who is simply beautiful to watch. Unbeaten for 32 two-lap races, he is the right one, someone, like many great African athletes, who’s not had the recognition he deserves but who I think will end up forcing everyone to appreciate his greatness through sheer force of achievement.

KIRANI JAMES (Grenada, 400m)

Goodness knows where his career will go, so extraordinary has been its start. They call him the new Usain Bolt and, yes, I think he could be that good. He was quite fabulous here to beat the reigning champion LaShawn Merritt, showing real courage at the finish to go with the obvious ability, and when you consider he has now landed a full house of world titles — youth, junior and now senior – all a couple of days before his 19th birthday, the mind boggles about his potential.

SALLY PEARSON (Australia, 100m hurdles)

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I thought that was fantastic, arguably the performance of the championships to win in the fastest time for nearly 20 years. It was an extraordinary run; it looked as if it would take an elephant gun to stop her. Sally has only one gear, though; flat out. She doesn’t think about easing herself through the rounds, she goes hard every time. You see these archetypal Aussie winners in cricket and other sports but I’ve haven’t always seen that in their track and field team. It’s as if Herb Elliott has made a comeback in the form of a 5ft 5in hurdler!

DWIGHT PHILLIPS (USA, long jump)

He is so often overlooked but he was wearing that bib number 1111 for a reason. A fourth world title to go with his 2004 Olympic title, this put him in Ralph Boston and Bob Beamon classification. He’s a quiet, calm one who’s slipped under the radar but what a thrilling athlete to behold. I love long jumping and I went across to that side of the stadium to watch a master at work.

If you compare someone like Usain and Dai Greene, it’s night and day. Dai looks like he’s been in solitary confinement for a week, an unshaven tough of the track, absolutely the antithesis of Bolt. He looks intimidating as he lines up but the minute the race is over, he’s a disarming, charming guy. He absolutely fits the mould of the sort of British athlete chief coach Charles Van Commenee is looking for; focused, meticulously prepared, hard. He reminds me of me a little bit; on the day of a race, I could walk past family and not recognise them because my race was the only thing that mattered in my whole world. I suspect that’s in Dai too. Now he is world champion, 2012 will be a pressure packed year but he’s fireproof, not one to be sitting there thinking the weight of the world is on his shoulders. He’s what I call a 'saleable’ runner, running whatever time is needed to win and, like Manchester United on a bad day, he’ll somehow still find a way to win.

Maybe it’s a little premature to call him the best ever male endurance runner from Britain, because Brendan Foster and Ian Stewart won Olympic medals and I think Mo has to do that too. Yet after his monumental performances here, he has a fantastic opportunity to do exactly that. What I admired particularly was how furious he was after the 10,000 near miss and how he used that indignation to fuel his wonderful 5,000m win. The problem for Mo is it’s always going to be a bit of a solo effort; he won’t have any Tour de France style cover against three or four Kenyans and Ethiopians but he showed on Sunday how he brilliantly he can handle this.

Do not dare write off Jess. I still have no problems believing that she is in the 'I’m going to raise my game’ camp. Tatyana Chernova may have stamped herself as the future of the heptathlon, maybe a 7,000 pointer, but I know how angry Jess was after her poor javelin and I think she’ll bounce back.

Every IAAF Council member has the choice of which medal they want to present and I chose the heptathlon in Berlin, where it was gold, and here, where it was silver. So it’s 1-1 and I told Jess I’ll be presenting the medal next year too. Honestly, I believe she’ll win there.